Always In Motion
by Jemmiah
Summary: ObiWan is plagued by a terrible vision. Can he stop it from becoming reality?


**Always In Motion**

**By Jemmiah**

* * *

_What ails you, padawan,_ Qui-Gon wondered silently as he watched Obi-Wan's retreating figure depart towards the balcony. _What is there on this near perfect, star filled evening that makes you fret and pace the room with such restlessness? And what can I do to reassure_ _you?_

The mission to Menkara had been fraught with unforeseen setbacks as well as the usual diplomatic pitfalls which Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had tried most valiantly to avoid. There was no overall ruler on the planet: no outright king or governing body to look after Menkara's welfare and that of the people. Instead, four kings shared the domestic responsibility of caring for their own principalities - four kings who had never seen eye to eye on any matter and most likely never would.

Two of those kings were cousins. And it was their own border disputes that Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan had been sent to resolve.

King Gerru, whose hospitality they were currently 'enjoying' was a young man who had ascended the throne on the death of his uncle and his entire family, wiped out some five years before by an assassin whilst they were enjoying their royal vacation to nearby Ymprana. With no clear successor, and with no constitutional rule of succession ever having been declared in law, it had fallen to the then nineteen year old Gerru to take up the mantle of monarch, and do the best he could with a role that arguably he was never born to have.

Gerru had proven affable - but paranoid in the extreme. Of a nervous and fragile disposition, only the presence of his wife and young children seemed to expunge the distrust in his eyes. Everyone and everything around him was a potential threat. With his cousin, whose country bordered that of his own principality, making war-like threats against him he had requested the Republic send him a handful of Jedi negotiators to pave the way between the two rivals. Not to mention guard his royal personage against any assassins…

He hadn't been pleased when only two Jedi had turned up instead of the bodyguard he had requested, Qui-Gon thought. However, his attitude had rapidly changed when Obi-Wan had sensed the presence of a hidden being lurking amidst the pillars of the sacred gardens…

"Padawan?" Qui-Gon walked towards the young man, placing a hand upon his shoulder. "Could you not sleep?"

"No, master." Obi-Wan replied hesitantly, not turning to face the taller Jedi. Instead he gazed out across the dark waters of the lake that surrounded the palace, the moon casting its reflected light against the gently lapping waves. "My mind would not be still, and I thought that the sound of the water might soothe me."

"And has it?" Qui-Gon asked politely.

Obi-Wan's eyes finally met those of his master. "In truth, not as much as I had hoped. But I think that is my fault: perhaps I will not allow myself to relax as I should."

Qui-Gon nodded. "You are troubled, padawan. Would you not share your thoughts with me? Perhaps unburdening yourself might bring some relief of mind. Was it perhaps," he ventured tentatively, "what happened in the gardens this afternoon?"

The padawan's face clouded momentarily at the memory, yet to Qui-Gon's surprise he shook his head dismissively.

"Not really. Perhaps in part, but," Obi-Wan frowned, "It is not the sole reason. I feel confused…uncertain of what to do."

"Do?" Echoed Qui-Gon.

Obi-Wan shuffled uncomfortably under his master's scrutiny, the white-knuckled grip he had of the balcony railing growing more pronounced.

"Would you save a man, if you could, and you knew his life were in danger? Even if you did not like the man, and believed him to be the cause of more evil and treachery than those who persecuted him?" The padawan demanded calmly, awaiting his master's reply with interest. "Could you do so, knowing that in saving him you might be condemning many innocent people to death?"

The question had caught Qui-Gon by surprise, yet as he ran through Obi-Wan's words in his own mind he had a fairly shrewd idea to whom the apprentice was referring to. Gerru's paranoia at protecting his family and those closest to him had led him in many ways down the path of benign dictatorship, yet already there were signs that this quest for absolute safety was costing his people dearly with their own blood. The unrest that had existed at the time of his uncle's death had not gone away, and the more that Gerru's suspicion fell upon the innocent the more the oppressed would turn their aggression back at the source of that disquiet.

"If you mean Gerru," Qui-Gon scratched idly at his beard, "it is our duty to protect him whilst we are here. As for what we may or may not think of him, or what we consider him to be, we cannot allow our personal feelings to enter into affairs. It is not the way of the Jedi."

"We should be allowed to have opinions." Obi-Wan shrugged his beige clad shoulders.

"But not necessarily act upon them." Caution Qui-Gon. "Perhaps if you tell me what has triggered this reaction I might be able to advise you better?"

Obi-Wan looked down at his hands and released his vice-like grip of the railing.

"I experienced a…a…vision." The padawan did not sound particularly certain. "I thought at first it was a dream, as it came to me quite unbidden. I was not meditating; my thoughts were not clear or uncluttered. But I saw this palace, and this lake, as clear as I see it before me now. The walls were aflame…the water bathed in orange reflection…black smoke drifted across towards the mountains and blotted out the moon. I looked into the flames," he closed his eyes, as if picturing the scene once more, "and saw a pile of bodies stacked upon each other like rags. And on the top I saw…"

"Gerru?" Guessed Qui-Gon.

Nodding slowly, Obi-Wan barely repressed a shudder. "His family…his wife and children…those loyal to him…lying butchered amidst the torched remains of a once great palace…"

"Padawan," Qui-Gon placed his hand on Obi-Wan's other shoulder, slowly pulling the young man round to face him, "as Master Yoda likes to remind us, 'in motion the future is'. Nothing is certain. The things you saw, if indeed a pre-empting granted through the force, are not guaranteed to come true. Let us hope for Gerru's sake that it does not."

"I do not like Gerru much," the apprentice admitted, casting his contrite blue eyes towards the ground, "not after what he did today. That boy he killed was younger than I was…"

"He should not have been in the grounds." Qui-Gon reminded him, cutting off Obi-Wan's protests with a raised finger. "I do not excuse Gerru the execution of one so young, but his rules regarding personal safety are well known throughout his staff, and indeed throughout his kingdom. The unfortunate child was a member of the kitchen staff and should not have been hiding in the gardens. For all he knew, the boy could have had a concealed blade upon him…"

"He worked in the kitchens!" Obi-Wan folded his arms. "He could have poisoned him if he'd wanted to assassinate his master! Why bother with a blade?"

"That's as may be, but Gerru was within his rights. The child would have been taken a way and condemned to a lingering, torturous death. Perhaps he was right to put an end to him there and then. Maybe it was a mercy considering how he would be made to suffer later…"

Obi-Wan bit his lip. "I do not like summary executions." He lowered his voice. "Gerru took a knife to the boy's throat. Am I supposed to like someone who can spill the blood of an innocent boy without so much as a thought?"

"Nobody is asking you to like Gerru. And your opinion of him is not relevant in our talks. What he did was," Qui-Gon sought to find a suitably diplomatic word, "distasteful, but we are not here to condemn other people for their beliefs or the way they live their lives no matter how badly such moments may disturb us. There was no anger…no pleasure in Gerru's eyes when he killed the boy, only regret."

"But…"

"I know what you are thinking, padawan. You cannot compare Gerru to a criminal like Merdan. King Gerru is swept up in his overriding wish to protect his family. The murder of his uncle and the immediate royal family has left a deep scar upon a man who was no older than yourself when he ascended the throne. To protect himself he believes he needs to weaken those around him, and alas, by doing so he has only fanned the flames of revolution."

"So you think that my vision could come true?" Obi-Wan's breath caught in this throat.

Qui-Gon sighed. "There is no way of telling. You must let the force have its way, Obi-Wan. Do not seek to influence what might happen. Trust in the ultimate will of the force."

"But if I have been given this vision," Obi-Wan countered resolutely, "then surely it is for a reason? As much as I may dislike Gerru, I should not like his wife and children to come to harm because I withheld this information."

"You seek to inform Gerru?" Qui-Gon frowned, his face bathed in the shadow of the lake.

"He will believe me," Obi-Wan gave a brief, bitter bark of laughter, "after what happened in the gardens. And he is so paranoid that it would take little convincing to get him to double his security."

He could see that Qui-Gon did not like this line of thought. Always one for living in the moment, for trusting in the here and now, Obi-Wan's preoccupation with the future was a frequent source of exasperation to him. Of course he understood his padawan's inner turmoil, but did not feel the same disquiet that disrupted Obi-Wan's own sense of calm.

"If you had a vision of something happening to Master Yoda, or Master Berlingside," Obi-Wan stood his ground, "Or to Jemmy, would you allow it to happen? Would you not try to help them? Could you stand by and watch them come to harm?"

He saw the light in Qui-Gon's eyes become hard. Of all people, Qui-Gon knew what it was like to allow his feelings to rule his head, and the consequences that came from doing so. Tahl's death had left its mark upon him. And then there was Xanatos…

"The force finds a way." Qui-Gon replied mysteriously. "I would counsel against informing Gerru, but I would not stop you from doing so if you conscience demands it. Now, please get some rest. In a few hours dawn will be upon us, and then we must complete the talks."

Obi-Wan nodded, allowing Qui-Gon to guide him back towards the guest suite. He wasn't yet certain of what the force was telling him to do. Perhaps, if he cleared his mind, he might be able to understand better.

And then finally get some sleep…

To Obi-Wan's surprise the talks between Gerru and his cousin had proved surprisingly fruitful. Or rather, the negotiations between the two monarchs using both he and his master as go-betweens, as both young men had resolutely refused to look at each other let alone speak. It had reduced the talks to the level of a comedic farce, but strangely enough the progress had been enough to allow both men to leave with their dignity intact and, more importantly, neither having been seen to back down.

Gerru had agreed to recognise his cousin's right to ascend after his death should he fail to provide a male heir. In return Monaj had given his word not to persist in the border dispute and withdraw his personal army from territories that were rightfully Gerru's. Both men were satisfied with the result, yet the near-reptilian smile on the lips of Monaj as he had left to return home caused Obi-Wan to shudder deeply. Clearly the force was prompting him to warn Gerru of the danger he was in. For a moment the padawan remained uncertain, remembering the death of the kitchen boy at Gerru's hand barely a day before. Then he remembered the smiling face of Gerru's wife, and the happy, blissful antics of the kings' two young daughters as they played at the side of the lake.

Could he allow them to pay for Gerru's paranoia?

He had felt Qui-Gon's eyes upon him as he had begged an audience with the king. As he had explained his vision to Gerru, Obi-Wan's mind was sensing Qui-Gon's uncertainty even as his eyes never left the alarmed face of the monarch. By the time that Gerru had curtly thanked him for his warning, dismissing him with a raised hand the same way he might shoo a gnat, Obi-Wan knew that Qui-Gon was somehow wishing that he had not alerted Gerru to the risk. Although he couldn't understand the reason why, Qui-Gon's doubts were beginning to become infectious.

"We will double the security in the royal palace." He'd heard Gerru haughtily command his chief bodyguard. "I want extra patrols at night. I want the princesses watched at all times: if privacy has to be sacrificed then so be it. And I want you to pick extra bodyguards to protect me when we leave the palace."

"It shall be done as your majesty commands." The bodyguard had bowed.

Obi-Wan suddenly, unexpectedly got a very, very bad feeling about it all.

* * *

The journey home had been quiet. Qui-Gon, for all his misgivings, had not chided Obi-Wan for his warning of Gerru, for which the padawan was entirely grateful. Successful missions were times for reflection rather than delight, but Obi-Wan couldn't help but feel relief at the way that things had turned out. In half a day's time they would be back on Coruscant. There he would meet up with his old friends, such as Jay Abran and Simeon Cates, or spar with Master Cyn Dralig. Perhaps for old time's sake he might force himself to eat at the temple refectory, just to remind himself how good field rations were in comparison. And then he could catch up with Jemmy and hear all about her latest scrapes and disasters, of which he felt sure there would be many…

Qui-Gon entered the rec-room and seated himself opposite Obi-Wan, tucking in his robe beneath him as he did so.

"It was an unusual mission." He tapped his fingers against the surface of the games table. "In terms of what was ultimately achieved, I mean."

"Achieved, master?" Obi-Wan blinked. "But the talks were successful, weren't they? Both parties got what they wanted…"

"Yes, although I think Monaj was the one who gained from the experience. Especially given the report that has just come in from our captain."

Remembering the sly smile on the face of King Monaj as the talks had broken up Obi-Wan began to experience a familiar creeping sense of unease spread through his stomach. He had the feeling that whatever news Qui-Gon was about to impart he wasn't going to like it much.

"It appears that there was a coup at Gerru's palace the night we left." Qui-Gon thinned his lips. "And that your vision was correct. Gerru and his family have been murdered, along with the handful of those still loyal to him."

"But the security…" Obi-Wan gasped in horror, recollecting Gerru's demands to his chief bodyguard. "The king said he would have all the patrols doubled…that his family would be watched at all times! How could this have happened?"

Qui-Gon said nothing for a long time. Then when he did answer his voice was little more than a regretful whisper.

"It was the security personnel who murdered Gerru and his family." He looked down at the table. "The request for additional guards merely enabled the plotters to infiltrate more easily. The handpicked bodyguards were recruited with the sole purpose of disposing of the king. Now," Qui-Gon watched sympathetically as the colour drained from Obi-Wan's face, "Monaj will step in as ruler of both kingdoms, which will unite to become one."

Obi-Wan's expression was what Qui-Gon could only have described as haunted.

"I did this." he shook his head, still numb with disbelief. "You warned me against telling Gerru of my vision and I did not listen. If it were not for me then Gerru would still be alive…his wife and children would still be alive…"

Qui-Gon treated his padawan to a melancholy smile.

"The force finds a way," he repeated. "It seems that in this instance it was Gerru's destiny to die, like his uncle before him. All you did was to hasten the inevitable. Perhaps now at least the two kingdoms of Menkara can be at peace."

And what of Gerru, and his family, Obi-Wan wondered bleakly. Would they be able to rest in peace?

"Then we cannot change the future?" He asked Qui-Gon with unmistakable hope in his voice.

"We cannot change the will of the force." His master replied with much certainty. "It is not our final destiny that is in question, but rather how we arrive there."

"There is a certain irony in having a vision come true, because you made it happen." Obi-Wan ran a hand through his over-long padawan haircut.

"Indeed." Qui-Gon agreed. "For example, I had a vision of the refrigeration unit being empty because my padawan decided to empty it of all eatables." That at least appeared to put a smile back on the young man's face. "I suppose it's only a matter of time before that comes true!"

"It's a vision I'd be happy with." Obi-Wan agreed fervently, before allowing the smile to die on his lips once more.

Qui-Gon watched him for a moment, deep in thought. Visions were not something that had tended to plague him over the years the way they seemed to dog Obi-Wan, and yet there was one…one special one that continued to haunt him no matter how hard he put it to the back of his mind. One filled with burning hot suns, dry air and whirling, cruel sands that flayed the skin…and Obi-Wan. Tired and dispirited. Ageing and friendless. On his own.

Alone.

This time it was Qui-Gon's turn to shudder.


End file.
